St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-08-13

Once Killed IN English Bully
Who Challenged Hin.
just a century ago several members
of the Platt family, who then resided in
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, formed colony
which embraced the Baily and Ferris
families with others of their townsmen,
and located at the mouth Of the Saranac
river i'm the northern wilderness of that
State, giving to the settlement its pre-
sent name of Plattsburgh. The in
duence and comparative wealth in those
days of these first cOlOnists induced q
large number of Quaker families in
Dutchess County to change their homes
for the heavily timbered and farming
lands Of Clinton County. then open to
settlers, whose cabins soon extended
over the towns of Plattsburgh, Peru
and Ausable, between the Saranac and
and the Ausable rivers on the western
shore of Lake Champlain. Among those
of the early .'nineties" were the Reese
and Arnold families. whose descendants
still own and occupy the choicest lands
in that locality. There were two
brothers, Oliver and Richard Reese.
from whom the village of Keeseville, on
the Ausable river. was subsequently
named.
Upon the discovery of iron in 1906 a
new emigration set in from the towns
along the Hudson river, and from Ver-
mont and New Hampshire; and within
the following ten years iron operations
were commenced on the BOquet,
Ausable and Saranac rivers. 1t was
during this period that Joseph Call.
then a young man, first appeared in
that locality. and in 1916 he became a
Junior partner in the firm then known
rs the 'Keeseville Rolling and Sitting
Mill Company" of which Oliver and
Richard Reese were also members. He
under the carpenter and blacksmith
trades, and first exhibited his Herculean
powers in the construction of dams,
saw-mills and manufactures on the
Ausable river. Many living to-day
remember him well, and his strength
was SO great it is said. that a timber
requiring eight men to place in position
was handled easily by Call alone. He
was in no sense fighting man or even
. pugilist, but . plain. unpretentious
workman. who never realized his own
superiority. but was always ready to
engage in any friendly wrestle or test
of strength. His fame extended through
out New York and Vermont and over
the Eastern portion of the Canadas.
With his legs locked around . tree a
yoke of oxen were unable to break his
hold. In driving from Keeseville to
Lewis in winter he met a number of
teams hauling ore over the dugway of
Willsboro mountain leaving scarcely
room to pass. The teamsters purposely
blocked the way. and gathered about
the stranger in q threatening manner
rs he attempted to drive by. Stepping
out of his sleigh he simply xtended
his hands between their legs. Kissing
them two at time over their teams
into the ravine below.
E p. Walton. the Vermont historian.
under date Of February 1. 1887. writes
Of him as follows: Among the cele-
brated men l have seen is Joe Call. 1t
was at Anson's tavern in Essex, N. Y,
about the year 1896. He was some
what above medium size. large with
out being excessively fat, compactly
built, as spry rs cat and of . jovial
disposition. l saw him play little in
wrestling. but Of course with no one
who could begin to match him. OF the
many accounts of his prowess I remem-
Der only two-one was that . man
came on horseback from q distant
State, I think it was Kentucky, to
challenge Joe to q trial of streny 9Th.
He found him in his bayfield, and
stated his business. whereupon Joe
playfully seized him and threw him
over the fence. The other incident oc-
CURED at Plattsburgh. where Joe was
wrestling. He threw his opponent.
but fell upon him with such force As to
kill the unfortunate man."
Moore Conger. Of Chicago. who came
from Western New York, relates that
on one occasion a champion wrestler
called at Joe's house and found no one
at home but a young sister. He in
formed her that he had come . great
ways to wrestle with hen brother, and
asked If he could wait until he returned.
She informed him that it was unneces-
sary; that Joe would not return until
late. and that she usually did the
wrestling when he was away; then sud
denly seizing her visitor BY the slack OF
his trousers she tossed him through the
upper half Of the open door out into the
road. After rising he made an obhging
bow and remarked that 1t she would
&h~c- h;s horea tn him he would start